New Orleans Restaurant Review: Luke

My beloved Food and Wine magazine gushed about New Orleans chef, John Besh, so I couldn't resist trying one of his restaurants while I was in New Orleans. August is arguably the jewel of his local restaurant empire, but I chose Luke because of it's laid back atmosphere and reasonable prices. Luke specializes in German and French brasserie fare, a unique departure from much of what you find in New Orleans.Fortunately those reasonable prices didn't come with a discount in quality, and the entire experience was top notch. The atmosphere is a bit more conducive to business lunches than romantic dates - a bit too bright without any luxe or funky touches, although the pressed tin ceilings at least kept things feeling bistro-like. But with such great food, a somewhat bland atmosphere doesn't phase me.

Since the boyfriend and I were trying to expand our waistlines as much as humanly possible while in NO, we started with rillete of Berkshire pork with marmalade and grilled country bread. I wasn't quite sure what rillete was, and our waitress told us, it was better not to know. I now realize it was a pate of pork covered with lard. Sounds gross, but it was in fact quite tasty, in an ultra rich, literally eating lard sort of way. I'd already had enough fried oysters to kill a person, so I only tried a bite of my cousin's fried oyster, bacon, romaine and avocado salad. Mmm...the oysters were spectacular, and I wish I'd had room for more!

For an entree, I opted for the Sunday special, blanquette of veal cheeks and wild mushrooms with housemade pasta. The veal cheeks were oh so tender and flavorful, and everyone at the table agreed, I'd ordered the best dish. The other entrees in competition were steak frites with bernaise (so juicy and delectable!), vanilla scented duck (smelled divine, but duck rarely excites me) and Louisiana redfish almandine (the weakest link, good but just tasted like any old fish). All were great, but my veal trumped all. Alas, at about this time my stomach hit capacity

(probably something to do with the 1.5 beignets and a Pat O'Brian's Hurricane that I had earlier that afternoon, so I wasn't able to finish my dish. Sadly, when eaten cold, with my hands no less, the next morning, it just wasn't nearly as compelling.

Although I was stuffed to the gills, I had to find room for dessert because it was included in my 3-course menu. Amazingly, the boyfriend for the first and probably last time was too full to indulge, so I was left on my own to eat the delectable bread pudding with pralines. It was rich and gooey and ultra sweet. Aw hell yeah!
Not only was everything delicious, but our server was hilarious. Granted we were having one of those crazy dinner conversations that the waiter can't help but overhear and laugh at, but she played along to perfection and actually had us cracking up even more. That's my kind of service.

I left happy and bursting at the seams, and I only wish I could try all of the yummy sounding things on Luke's menu!

Luke
Central Business District
333 Saint Charles Ave
New Orleans, LA 70130

Guest Blogger: Five Culinary Travel Tips

Today I'm featuring a guest blogger, Holly McCarthy. If you'd like to guest blog, let me know!

Culinary travel is something that has increased in popularity over the last several years, thanks to some different television shows that have highlighted the culinary experiences while traveling through distant lands. Sometimes, you don’t have to travel far to enjoy the benefits of culinary travel; many cities and regions in the US are known for their specific flavors. There are a few rules of thumb to go by when traveling and looking for those culinary gems that are worth writing home about, some of which are listed for you below.

Do Your Research

Before taking a trip of any length, it is always great to learn as much as you can about a certain area. Read books, peruse articles online, and check out what other people who have visited have to say. Of course, many guidebooks and sites are going to be pushing certain restaurants for various reasons, so take in as much information as you can and establish some sort of game plan.

Avoid Chains

Although this may sound like common sense advice, avoid going to places that you could just as easily try when at home. Understandably, some regional chains are well-known for certain specialties, and this can be an exception to the rule. More than likely, however, chains fail to capture the essence of a region or city and play toward a more homogenized appeal. Additionally, the emergence of massive restaurant chains has undermined the efforts of local businesses and agriculture, so supporting them is not the best option.

Locate Landmark Restaurants

Every major city has them. Do your best to try at least one landmark or famous restaurant when you travel to a major metropolitan area. Although the cost may be a little out there, trying one of the city’s best is a good indicator of the pulse of their culinary offerings. High-end dining experiences are often some of the best meals you can have, especially when you allow yourself to be guided through your meal by the employees of the establishment.

Talk with the Locals

Don’t be afraid to talk to the locals when you get to your destination. People who have lived in a town for any length of time will know of some great places for you to try that you never would have found otherwise. Let them know that you aren’t just looking for places where the tourists go, but that you really want to get out there and try the best of the best. You may be directed to some of the rare gems only enjoyed by those in the know.

Search for Hidden Gems

Once you are out and about, keep your eyes peeled for those hidden gems. Look for places that have that “lived in” look; if a restaurant has been open for a long time, there’s a good chance that they’re doing something right. Street food and stands can also be surprisingly good and affordable as well. Make a day of sampling different local delicacies from out of the way places and feel your sense of adventure grow along with your experiences.

This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of culinary schools. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com

Mmm...bacon

No time to write today, so for now here's an interesting article on the convergence of bacon and blogging. Yum!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/dining/28bacon.html?em

I think bacon makes everything better...even dessert. Bacon creme fraiche served up by NY's Dessert Truck? Weird sounding but delish.

Help feed those in need by taking Simple Abundance Cooking Classes!

Times are tough for everyone, but some are hurting more than others. To support those without food to eat, you can take cooking classes through the Food Bank's Simple Abundance series. 100% of the proceeds go to Atlanta's Table, a project of the Atlanta Community Food Bank!

Not only will you be doing good for the community, but you'll be learning from some of Atlanta's top chefs. Can't beat that!

Monday, February 23
Spice It Up!
Chef Ian Winslade of Spice Market
The Cook's Warehouse - Midtown
($55, 7-9 p.m. Demonstration & Tasting)

With a global cuisine inspired by the vibrant street life of Southeast Asia, Spice Market has become quite popular. Tonight Chef Winslade will inspire you spice up your cooking by showing participants how to prepare such dishes as Chicken Samosas with Cilantro Yogurt, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger Cream and Basil, Steamed Snapper with Mushrooms and Chinese Condiment, and Valhrona Chocolate Mousse. Evening includes wine tastings sponsored by National Distributor's and a chance to win tasty door prizes provided by Atlanta Beverage, Bella Cucina Artful Foods, Cabot Cheese and Via Elisa Authentic Fresh Pasta.

Location: The Cook's Warehouse - Midtown: 549-1 Amsterdam Avenue, Atlanta GA 30306

Click here to register and pay online for Spice It Up! class.

Monday, March 9
An Evening with Nava and Modern Southwestern Cuisine
Chef Jesse Perez of Nava
The Cook's Warehouse - Brookhaven
($55, 7-9 p.m. Demonstration & Tasting)

Natural born teacher Chef Perez is back and he’s bringing his passion and enthusiasm for Southwestern cuisine with him. Tonight he’ll demonstrate how to prepare Roasted Poblano Soup with Blue Crab-Serrano Fritter, Cumin Scented Quail Medallions with Apple Wood Bacon Potato Cake, Red Chile Dusted Diver Scallops with Orange-Serrano Broth and Green Chile Pumpkin Seed Sauce, Tre' Chile Spiced Buffalo Ribeye with Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Hot Tortilla Sauce, and Double Chocolate 'Cake' with Dulce de Leche and Canela Whipped Cream. Evening includes wine tastings sponsored by Sherlock's Wine Merchant and a chance to win tasty door prizes provided by Atlanta Beverage, Bella Cucina Artful Foods, Cabot Cheese and Via Elisa Authentic Fresh Pasta.

Location: The Cook's Warehouse - Brookhaven: 4062 Peachtree Road, Atlanta GA 30319

Click here to register and pay online for An Evening with Nava and Modern Southwestern Cuisine class.

Monday, March 16
Home Sweet Home
Chef Jef Wright of Home Restaurant & Bar
The Cook's Warehouse - Brookhaven
($55, 7-9 p.m. Demonstration & Tasting)

Ah, there’s no place like home…Home cuisine that is, which consists of delicious fresh farm to table ingredients. With Chef Wright’s help you can bring that same cuisine to your kitchen table. Tonight he demonstrates how to prepare Crab Cake with Brussel Sprout Slaw, Duck Breast with Roasted Parsnips, and Banana Cotta with Vanilla Wafers. Evening includes wine tastings sponsored by Sherlock’s Wine Merchant and a chance to win tasty door prizes provided by Atlanta Beverage, Bella Cucina Artful Foods, Cabot Cheese and Via Elisa Authentic Fresh Pasta.

Location: The Cook's Warehouse - Brookhaven: 4062 Peachtree Road, Atlanta GA 30319

Click here to register and pay online for Home Sweet Home class.

Monday, March 23
Hands-On Traditional Indian Meal
Chef Archna Becker of Bhojanic
The Cook's Warehouse - Decatur
($65, 7-9:30 p.m. Hands-On & Tasting)

Chef Becker is back but this time you’re getting in on the action! Archna Becker has a passion for and an abundance of knowledge about Indian cuisine which she loves to share and teach. Tonight participants will roll up their sleeves and prepare a meal of Mango Lassi (mango and yogurt smoothie), Rice Pullao with peas (Basmati rice with cumin, cinnamon, and cloves with peas), Yellow Lentils tempered with curry leaves and mustard seeds, Chicken Curry on the bone, Potato and Cauliflower, Chapati bread, and Cucumber Yogurt Sauce. Evening includes wine tastings sponsored by Sherlock’s Wine Merchant and a chance to win tasty door prizes provided by Atlanta Beverage, Bella Cucina Artful Foods, Cabot Cheese and Via Elisa Authentic Fresh Pasta.

Location: The Cook's Warehouse - Decatur: 108 West Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur GA 30030

New Orleans Restaurant Review: Casamento's

No trip to New Orleans would be complete without oysters. Not that I can't get these briny little delights in Atlanta, but they're just that much better when they're fresh from the coast. I had oysters at virtually every restaurant I went to in New Orleans, but it was Casamento's that I went to specifically in search of platters of New Orleans finest "ersters."

Casamento's isn't much to look at, but that's part of the charm at this kind of place. It's tucked away in the Garden District, in an area a local had warned me wasn't safe for wandering about. The place was packed with everything from cops to hipsters sucking down Abitas, oysters and fried seafood, so we waited for about 20 minutes for a table. Once seated we figured we might as well try a bit of everything and got 2 platters of oysters and 2 fried combination plates. Other than the oysters, everything on the menu is fried, so Casamento's isn't a place for the faint of heart or dieters!

The first round of oysters were as tasty as we'd expected, but without cocktail sauce, they were a little bland. It was only on the second round that we realized you could make your own cocktail sauce using ketchup, horseradish, and hot sauce. Who knew? The spicy sauce kicked things up a notch (oh lord, I sound like Emeril now!), and the second 12 went down even faster than the first. They were big, succulent, with a pleasant salty straight-from-the-sea taste. Yum!

Alas, like most fried seafood, it was almost impossible to distinguish between the different items on the plate. It all tasted the same, a bit bland, a bit crunchy. The only standout for me were the fried oysters, which had a soft and chewy inside to contrast with the crunchy outside, and at least I could actually tell what I was eating.

All in all, it was a fun place to check out. I imagine there are plenty of places to gett great oysters, but at $9 a dozen, the price was hard to beat. Next time I'd skip the fried seafood platter and stick with just the healthier and tastier dozen oysters.

Casamento's
4330 Magazine St
New Orleans, LA 70115

I heart Quattrano and Harrison

According to John Kessler at the AJC, Abbatoir, from Bacchanalia's Quattrano and Harrison, isn't opening any time soon - see here.

So today I checked out the Star Provisions site to see more. Apparently Abbatoir will be a head to tail kind of place with on site butchering of all kinds of meats. It's not often you read something like "Abattoir will feature dishes redolent of head cheese, innards, feet and tongue." Yikes! 

I'm all for this kind of dining. In fact, I'm a huge fan of sweet breads, and newly fond of rabbit liver. That being said, anything that is redolent of innards is a bit disconcerting. It reminds me of a particular platter the boyfriend and I were served in Mendoza, Argentina. It was in fact redolent of all kinds of sizzling guts, and let me tell you it didn't sit well with us after a few gallons of malbec. 

All of that said, I look forward to the spring opening of Abbatoir as everything this pair does is great. My office had star provisions catered lunch yesterday, and I was stunned that basic sandwiches and fruit salad could be so delicious. The proscuitto sandwich, in particular, was divine! 

High on the Hog - New Orleans dining: Cochon

I'd heard good things about Cochon from just about everywhere I looked, so I can't say I was surprised to find that it was a fantastic restaurant. That said, though, I still came away awed that everything was so completely delicious and fairly affordable.

The decor sits somewhere between rustic, with lots of wood and exposed brick, and hip, with trendy diners and an upscale enough vibe to merit the prices. There was too much good stuff on the menu to sample it all, but damn if we didn't try to eat as much as possible.

The wood-fired oyster roast giant, sweet, succulent oysters with a combination of cayenne, chili flakes, garlic and anchovy for a spicy, flavorful kick. I love raw oysters, even with minimal accouterments, so you can only imagine how much I loved this. As per usual, the boyfriend couldn't resist the siren call of organ meat. This time, instead of the typical chicken livers, it was fried rabbit livers with pepper jelly toast. Whereas I typically find fried chicken livers to leave an unpleasant metallic aftertaste, these were an ideal balance of salty and rich without any unsavory flavors. I had only a small bite of my cousin's pork cheek, goat cheese and beet appetizer, and from what I could tell, this too was a big winner.

Appetizers set the bar pretty high, and fortunately entrees didn't let us down either. I had read that rabbit and dumplings were a standout dish, so I opted to split that and the Louisiana cochon with turnips, cabbage and cracklings with the boyfriend. The dumplings were unbelievably light, and the broth had tons of flavor, even if the rabbit didn't really stand out one way or the other. The pork was simultaneously crispy and tender and packed with flavor. This isn't the ho hum pork loin you find at most restaurants! I had only had turnips once before. Granted they were in a dodgy cous cous dish somewhere in the Moroccan desert, but still I was struck by how much they tasted like rotten potatoes. So I was wary of them in this dish, but now I'm a turnip convert. They were so sweet and yummy, I may even try cooking with them sometime!

How we had room for dessert after all this, and bottles of pinot noir and nebbiolo, I don't know, but this was a weekend of glutton so we made it work. Although the savory dishes were the standouts, desserts were unique, and of course we ate every last bite. The gateau de chocolate strayed for the dense chocolate on chocolate norm, and instead combined honey creole cream cheese mousse and pears with the chocolate to make for a remarkably light dish. The pineapple upside down cake was pretty good and was brought up a notch by the always yummy dulce de leche served with it. My only request would be more dulce de leche next time!

I can't say enough good things about Cochon. Everything we had was incredible, the price was fair, and there are still tons of things on the menu I'd like to try. Oyster and bacon sandwich? Sign me up. Fisherman style gulf-fish? Yep, I'll take one. Andouille and sweet potato pie? Yum! Clearly, I'm a fan of this Nawlins shrine to the porcine! If you're in New Orleans, go and check it out for yourself...

Dining in New Orleans

After 3 nights in New Orleans, I can officially say I'm stuffed. I'm not exaggerating when I say that we likely at 10,000 calories a day. My waistline may never forgive me, but my taste-buds are very satisfied indeed.

Like the good little obsessive travel planner I am, I had scoped out the entire New Orleans dining scene for weeks. It wasn't easy to choose where to eat with so many incredible options. I'm a researcher at heart, so I triangulated Food and Wine, NY Times, Concierge.com and personal recommendations to come up with our plan.  Alas there is too much to try in a long weekend, or even a month, so I couldn't try every place that sounded good, but I like to think we got a pretty good sampling of New Orleans' incredible dining scene.

I wanted a mix of high and low cuisine. A trip to the the Big Easy wouldn't be complete without some down and dirty dining. This is the birthplace of po' boys and muffaletta of course! That led us to try Mother's for their famous po' boys, the ever-popular but awfully dirty Cafe du Monde for beignets, and the atmosphere free mecca of oysters and fried seafood, Casamento's. 

We of course wanted to explore the exciting high end cuisine on offer, too. A number of great restaurants have re-opened or newly opened post-Katrina, so there quite a few places to choose from. I must admit that the menus of many top restaurants sounded similar and came with entrees priced in the $30-range. I opted for two slightly lower priced restaurants - Cochon, heralded by the NY Time's Frank Bruni as one of THE places to try this year, and Luke, the French-German brasserie opened by John Besh, a Food and Wine best new chef for his more chi-chi restaurant August.

The only plan to fall by the wayside was our effort to try Mr. B's, which I hear has the best Cajun style bbq shrimp around. Alas, it's in the French Quarter, and we opted to tour the Garden District that day instead. Can't complain too much, though, because instead we wondered into Commander's Palace for an over-the-top lunch and a perfect end to an indulgent weekend.

Over the course of the week, I'm going to write articles about the restaurants we checked out, but for now, suffice it to say, there wasn't a single disappointment during our trip, and I may need to eat salads for a week to make up for all that tasty eating!

Inman Park Grape closing

According to the AJC, the Inman Park Grape, opened by Usher a couple years back, is closing. I live quite close to the Grape, and I love me some wine, and yet, I only went twice, so I'm not too surprised. That being said, it's a shame to see what was a good concept - wide variety of wines in a user friendly format - flounder. I always felt like the overly purple decor was just too corporate chain feeling. It lacked the warmth and coziness I covet in a wine bar. I'll take a worn, over-stuffed sofa any day over bright purple bar chairs. Oh well, at least Krog is still in walking distance, and even better the boyfriend's wine collection is mere steps away from my own comfy sofa!

Where has all the good sushi gone?

I love, love, love sushi. Whether trendy rolls or stripped down sashimi, I'm a passionate adorer of raw fish. Not just any fish will do, though. It must be ultra-fresh, the kind of fish that melts in your mouth. When I lived in LA, this type of top-notch sushi abounded. Katsu-ya still lives on in my memory as one of the most amazing places to eat on the face of the earth. Their crispy rice with tuna will blow your mind. So buttery and flavorful with the perfect crunchy contrast. I'm drooling just remembering it. Sigh...

Even NY sushi never thrilled me the way LA sushi did. That said, our neighborhood sushi joint, Cherin, was all about trendy rolls, but still the fish was great, the prices were low, and you'd be amazed at how good eel and banana can be together!

And now here we are in Atlanta, where there is a profound dearth of great sushi at good prices. Fine, we're not on the coast, I get it, but still why aren't there more restaurants serving great sushi? Our neighborhood sushi restaurant, Zuma, rates well in places like citysearch, but they insist on bathing just about all of their fish in mayonnaise based sauces, which 1) kills the notion of sushi as healthy eating and 2) suggests a certain lack of quality fish to me.

So imagine my pleasure at discovering two good options recently. No, these places are nowhere near as great as my beloved Katsu-ya, but still they are miles better than the other options I've tried here. First was Nakato, which is actually the first place I ever tried sushi back when I was 15 and on a date with a guy who smelled of cigarettes and his Asian-fetish mother who was flirting with the staff. Weird, right? Fortunately, sitting at the sushi bar will get you basic rolls and sashimi and good quality fish. Nothing amazing, but far better than mayo-drenched rolls.

Even better was my meal this weekend at Blue Fin. It's trendy there for sure, but not in the annoyingly blasting music sort of way that implies the food is bad but the scene is good. The white tuna usuzukuri and the hamachi jalapeno usuzukuri were two standout appetizers. The slim cuts of fish were little jewels on the plate, and were so tender, I forgot all the gooey messes I've endured at Zuma.

I'm also a sucker for crunchy roles, not overly fried, but just a smattering of tempura flakes adds such a thrilling crunch to rolls. The last samurai was just right on that front, it was spicy but minus the unnaturally orange sauce you find elsewhere and the flakes scattered on top provided the perfect texture. With a total bill of 70-something two people, including one drink a piece, it's not cheap but not a bad deal either.

I still wish I could find a great neighborhood sushi place that delivers, but I guess you can't have it all. At least I'm happy to know that I don't have to give up on good sushi entirely by leaving the coasts.

What should be in your pantry?

The new year is a good time to rethink your shopping and cooking habits. I am eternally attempting to eat fewer carbs and more natural foods. That being said, I work full time and am a big fan of products that make my life easier. I'm also lousy at pre-planning my menus, so ideas like pre-making my own stocks and saving them, simply never occur to me.

This NY Times article is fascinating and has lots of ideas for how make your pantry a bit more compelling. I have to admit that many of the things he lists as being "out" are in my pantry - canned beans, bread crumbs and old spices for example.

Not sure how many of these ideas I'll take to heart, but it definitely gives me something to think about. Who knew you could keep cooked beans for so long or that I could make a great rice pudding from Chinese leftovers and a fresh vanilla?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07mini.html?em

Recipe: Seven Layer Bars

The boyfriend's parents swung through town last weekend on their annual winter journey down to Florida. Like any good Italian family, they know good food and wine. So what's a girl to do to impress? Well first off, take them out to eat! A girl can't take too much kitchen induced stress. That being said, I wanted to flex my culinary muscles a bit, so I decided to bake a simple but impressive recipe for dessert.

The recipe suggested the importance of splurging on ingredients, so I got the best I could find for each of the main ingredients. This recipe is about as easy as it gets. For the most part you just throw a bunch of delicious things, one on top of another, and then bake. Hard to screw up!

Fortunately they were just as good as I'd hoped. Layers of sweetness and texture with just a bit of crunch and chew...yum! They were a hit with coffee after dinner, and an equally big hit when eaten by my coworkers the following day. I have some frozen for a rainy day, too. You really can't get easier than this, and they are decadent and delicious, so I highly recommend trying them out next time you've got a sweet craving. Not much to look at, I admit, but who cares when there's chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, coconut, and nuts involved?


Seven Layer Bars
From Food and Wine Magazine

• ACTIVE: 30 MIN
• TOTAL TIME: 1 HR plus cooling
• SERVINGS: 3 dozen bars

Recipe

Ingredients

1. 1 cup walnuts
2. 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
3. 3 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from one 14.4-ounce box)
4. 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (1 pound 5 ounces)
5. One 11-ounce bag butterscotch chips (1 1/4 cups)
6. 3/4 cup white-chocolate chips
7. One 14-ounce bag sweetened shredded coconut
8. One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast until golden and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Let cool then coarsely chop.
2. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs until evenly moistened. Press the crumbs onto the bottom of a 15-by-17-inch baking pan. Scatter the semisweet chocolate chips on top, followed by the butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, toasted walnuts and coconut. Scrape the condensed milk into a microwave-safe container and heat it at high power for 30 seconds, until just fluid. Drizzle the milk evenly over the coconut.
3. Bake the bars in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until the coconut is toasted; rotate the pan once for even cooking. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the bars cool completely, at least 4 hours. Cut the bars lengthwise into 6 strips and crosswise into 6 strips to make 36 bars.

Make Ahead

The bars can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.

Shaun's New Year's Eve Clusterf***

Many a passionate romance comes to an explosive end. It starts out all sunshine and roses, and ends in a fiery ball of misery. Alas, that's what's happened with my chef crush on Shaun Doty of Shaun's. As I mentioned in a previous post, we were excitedly looking forward to our New Year's Eve at Shaun's. Oh how wrong we were...it was a dining disaster of epic proportions.

I ultimately selected Shaun's not only because it's always been one of my favorite restaurants, but also because it was one of the few nice restaurants not forcing diners to eat off an expensive prix fixe menu. You had the option of a $45 or $65 menu, or you could order a la carte. Since my dining pals are a budget conscious bunch, I thought this would be perfect.

We got even more excited for dinner after speaking with Shaun himself at El Taco just days before the big night. He enthused about the "f'ing awesome fish" he was getting in for the big night. If you're gonna drop an f-bomb about your fish, I have to try it!

So we made a 10 pm reservation on Opentable.com with the notion that this gave us just enough time to dine, relax over a drink and still be there for the stroke of midnight and the promised jazz band and prosecco toast.

We arrive on time only to find a crazed mob awaiting their tables. Not a good sign. They told us it would be about a 10 minute wait. Not bad, so we settled in at the bar to wait. Minutes became hours, and suddenly it was 11:30 and we were just getting seated. An hour and a half wait on New Year's Eve with a reservation...wha???

During all that time, no one from Shaun's came to speak to the many parties who'd been waiting an hour plus. An apology for the obscene wait, an offer of a free drink, maybe some passed apps would have gone a long way to keeping the mob's anger from boiling over. Here's a marketing tip from someone who does this for a living - it's far easier to prevent a bad evening than to repair one that's already tanked.

Instead we waited, and waited and waited with no sign of reprieve. I scoped out the restaurant several times during that hour and a half and at one count found 7 empty tables, and throughout the first hour there was a table for 8 set up in front of us with no diners at it. So not only did they underestimate how long earlier reservations would camp out at the table, but they also clearly had a service problem. How do you get so overbooked and frazzled on New Year's that you keep people waiting so long while table sit open? If they were a brand new restaurant, I might cut them more slack, but I expect more from Shaun's.

11:30 pm, we're finally seated, but at this point we've worked ourselves into a mild rage. I thought I was going to have to be the bad guy and ask for the manager to make sure we got something comped for our trouble. The hapless waiter left us waiting another 15 minutes without attention. When he did arrive, he asked the worst possible question. "So how's your night going?" Yikes! I thought the boyfriend's head would explode. "Awful, our night is awful thanks to you guys." Granted, he said it with a half smile on his face, but it did the trick.

We explained that of course it wasn't his fault, but we needed to talk to the manager. I admit that the manager did everything (well almost everything) she could to make amends. She apologized, she comped drinks, an appetizer, and desserts. Oops...everything on the entree menu was out except for a couple things like $32 crab cakes and chicken liver fettuccine - one overpriced and the other not my style. What's a girl to do with nary an f-bomb inducing piece of fish in site?

I actually burst into laughter at this point. Seriously, we blow our whole New Year's Eve waiting for a table and there's nothing left on the menu? Thankfully, the manager offered us burgers, which were off menu that night. What a glamorous way to ring in the New Year, huh? Usually I love their burger, but alas, our burger and fries were both oversalted that night. Clearly in addition to scheduling and service problems, there was a kitchen problem that night, too. Even the guys' drinks were salty, which is pretty weird in my book.

Even the New Year's countdown was half-assed, with a smattering of people counting at slightly different rates. Oh well, we made the best of it laughing about our ridiculous evening. We enjoyed our desserts and good company, but that was about it!

Shaun begrudgingly stopped by our table at the end of the night and suggested that if we wanted better service we should try a Sunday night. Not what I had in mind, but I at least admire his nerve in stopping by knowing we were angry!

The manager called me a couple days later, likely in response to my negative Opentable.com review. I admire the gal's chutzpah and effort to make things right, but unfortunately there just wasn't a way to make amends once the damage was done. Unless Shaun has built a time machine in his kitchen, there's no do-over for a botched New Year's Eve.

Will I ever go to Shaun's again? I'm certainly in no rush. The magic has worn off, the romance has ended, the emporer's new clothes are just his birthday suit. Shaun Doty, you're dead to me... (well except at El Taco, I can't give up that Mexican corn over a break-up!)

Holiday Leftovers: Mom’s Rum Cake

Today’s post is by guest blogger Jeff.
Guest posts are always welcome! If you are interested, please email me.

In my mind, the Holidays are about family. Like so many Atlantans, I’ve moved away from my family, so I really enjoy conjuring up anything that reminds me of the Christmas of my childhood. Pizzelles, the Italian waffle cookies flavored with anise, will always be at the top of my list of sentimental Christmas treats. Close behind is rum cake, which Mom always serves on Christmas Day.

When I asked my mom for the recipe, I expected to receive a lengthy, drawn out treasure map that would lead me to the golden, boozy promised land only after hours of hard work. Much to my surprise, however, Mom’s rum cake recipe was as simple as, um, pie.

I just assumed that everything Mom makes is the work of a kitchen wizard who can turn out recipes in half the time of us mere mortals. But once I got a glimpse behind the curtain, I discovered that Mom, like anybody who is scrambling to entertain the family for Christmas, takes a big shortcut. Yes, Virginia, Mom uses cake mix.

From start to finish, mixing the ingredients took me, a baking novice, about 15 minutes. Once the cake was in the oven, I set the timer and went back to finish my last-minute online Christmas shopping. With about 10 minutes left on the oven timer, I headed back to the kitchen to whip up the rummy glaze that really gives this cake a little bit of kick.

It probably won’t leave you slurring your words, but Mom’s rum cake is a delicious holiday dessert that is sure to please kids from one to 92.

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Cake:
Preheat oven to 325
-1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped into small pieces
-1 yellow cake mix box. (18½ oz) *
-1 (3 ¾ oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
-4 eggs
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup dark rum (Bacardi works great)

* Note: If using yellow cake mix with pudding already in the mix, omit instant pudding, use 3 eggs instead of 4, 1/3 cup of oil instead of the 1/2 cup.

Grease and flour a 10" tube or angel food cake pan (Pam baking spray does the trick). Sprinkle the nuts over the bottom of pan (this will be on the top of the cake as the cake will be inverted when cooled). Mix all cake ingredients together, pour batter into the pan and bake 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow at least 20 minutes to cool and then invert onto serving plate.

Glaze:
- ¼ lb butter
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark rum

Melt butter in saucepan, stir in water and sugar. Boil five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in rum. Let glaze settle for a few minutes before using on the cooled cake.

Prick the top of the cake several times with a toothpick. Spoon and brush glaze over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze.

Note: the glaze will run onto the plate below. If you want to keep the plate cleaner, invert the cake onto a sheet of waxed paper cut into halves (for easy removal). You can remove the paper after the glaze has soaked in a bit.

If you want to add a little color, halve some maraschino cherries (dry up any excess liquid) and place them round-side-up on top of the cake. A ring of whipped cream around the outside ring of the cake also adds a little flair.